NEW YORK , May 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --  OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial marketplaces for 10,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced the first banks to trade on the OTCQX® marketplace under a new streamlined qualification process for U.S. community and regional banks. The announcement expands the OTCQX marketplace for U.S. and international companies and distinguishes publicly-traded community and regional banks that are strongly-capitalized, transparent in their news and disclosure and committed to enhancing value for their shareholders.

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"We are thrilled to welcome our first banks to the OTCQX marketplace," said R. Cromwell Coulson , President and CEO of OTC Markets Group. "Since its launch in 2007, OTCQX has provided established U.S. and international companies an informed and efficient public trading market and OTCQX companies have distinguished themselves with investors through a combination of rigorous qualitative and quantitative financial standards, wide distribution of their news and financial disclosure and third-party sponsorship. Now that OTCQX is open to serving the unique needs of strong, well-capitalized U.S. banks, they can leverage their existing regulatory reporting requirements and the OTCQX marketplace to increase their profile with investors nationwide."   

Banks that commence trading today on OTCQX are:

• Calvin B. Taylor Bankshares, Inc. (OTCQX: TYCB) – The company, through its wholly owned bank subsidiary, operates a full service commercial bank in the coastal resort areas of Worcester County, Maryland and Sussex County, Delaware . StockCross Financial Services, Inc. is the Corporate Broker for Calvin B. Taylor Bankshares.

• Cortland Bancorp (OTCQX: CLDB) – Cortland Bancorp is a financial holding company headquartered in Cortland, Ohio .  Founded in 1892, the company's bank subsidiary, The Cortland Savings and Banking Company, conducts business through 12 full-service community banking offices located in the counties of Trumbull , Mahoning , Portage , and Ashtabula in Northeastern Ohio.  Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. is the Corporate Broker for Cortland Bancorp. 

• First BancTrust Corp. (OTCQX: FIRT) – Headquartered in Paris, IL , First BancTrust is a financial holding company whose principal activity is the ownership and management of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, First Bank & Trust, s.b., ECS Service Corp., and First Charter Service Corp.  FBTC Statutory Trust I is an unconsolidated wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. FIG Partners LLC is the Corporate Broker for First BancTrust.

• First ULB Corp. (OTCQX: FUBP) – First ULB Corp. is a thrift holding company headquartered in Oakland, California , and the parent of United Labor Bank, F.S.B., a commercial community bank offering personalized services and products to meet the demands of today's small and medium-sized businesses. McAdams Wright Ragen, Inc. ("MWR") is the Corporate Broker for First ULB.

• Harleysville Savings Financial Corp. (OTCQX: HARL) – Harleysville Savings Financial is the holding company for Harleysville Savings Bank.  Established in 1915, Harleysville Savings Bank is a Pennsylvania -chartered and federally insured savings bank, headquartered in Harleysville, Pennsylvania .  Boenning & Scattergood is the Corporate Broker for Harleysville Savings Financial.

• Katahdin Bankshares Corp. (OTCQX: KTHN) – Katahdin Bankshares is a bank holding company.  Its subsidiary, Katahdin Trust Company, is a Maine state-chartered, commercial bank established in 1918.  The bank has 19 full service branches throughout Aroostook and Penobscot counties and the Scarborough area. StockCross Financial Services is the Corporate Broker for Katahdin Bankshares.

• Standard Financial Corp. (OTCQX: STND) – Standard Financial is the parent company of Standard Bank, a Pennsylvania -chartered savings bank which operates offices serving individuals and small to mid-sized businesses in Allegheny , Westmoreland and Bedford Counties in Pennsylvania and Allegany County in Maryland . Standard Bank is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and an Equal Housing Lender.  Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, Inc. ("KBW") is the Corporate Broker for Standard Financial.

• Virginia National Bankshares Corp. (OTCQX: VABK) – Headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia , Virginia National Bankshares is the bank holding company for Virginia National Bank , a commercial bank with seven banking offices located in Central Virginia .  The bank offers investment management and trust services under the trade name of VNB Wealth Management through its subsidiary, VNB Trust, N.A.  MWR is the Corporate Broker for Virginia National Bankshares.

To qualify for OTCQX, banks must meet high quantitative and qualitative financials standards, be current in their reporting to a bank regulator and, if applicable, the SEC, and appoint a "Corporate Broker," a FINRA member broker-dealer specializing in trading in and advising banks, to provide guidance on the trading of their stock and access to institutional investors, trading expertise and wealth management services. 

The following firms have been approved to serve as Corporate Brokers for banks on OTCQX:

• Boenning & Scattergood, an independent securities, asset management and investment banking firm serving the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest
• D.A. Davidson & Co., a full-service investment firm whose division Crowell, Weedon & Co. has been serving the financial needs of banks in the Western U.S. for more than 80 years
• FIG Partners, an employee-owned broker-dealer specializing in financial institutions
• KBW, a full-service, boutique investment bank and broker-dealer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF)
• MWR, a majority employee-owned investment firm headquartered in the Pacific Northwest
• StockCross Financial Services, a discount and full-service financial brokerage firm and market maker with offices nationwide.

"We are pleased with the applications and interest we have received from banks and broker-dealers about OTCQX and believe this indicates a tremendous market opportunity for small banks and their shareholders," continued Coulson.  "We look forward to working with all of our approved banks and Corporate Brokers as we build a robust public trading market for U.S. community and regional banks and their shareholders."  

About OTC Markets Group Inc.
OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates Open, Transparent and Connected financial marketplaces for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through our OTC Link® ATS, we directly link a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services for a wide spectrum of securities. We organize these securities into marketplaces to better inform investors of opportunities and risks – OTCQX®, The Best Marketplace; OTCQB®, The Venture Stage Marketplace; and OTC Pink®, The Open Marketplace. Our data-driven platform enables investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice at the best possible price and empowers a broad range of companies to improve the quality and availability of information for their investors. To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient financial marketplaces, visit www.otcmarkets.com .

OTC Link ATS is operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC and SEC regulated ATS.

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SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc.